Craig Silverman, who runs the website Regret the Error and wrote the book by the same name, offered journalists a free copy of his book in exchange for submitting an “accuracy checklist.”
Regarding the checklists, Silverman blogged in early January, “create your own, scan/photograph it, and email it to me. I’ll share it here on the site and I’ll send you a free copy of my book.”
Silverman explained why he is buying copies of his book to send to the checklist-creators: “Why am I buying books for people? The reason is straightforward: if you use a checklist on a regular basis, you will make fewer mistakes. They work. The fact that we don’t use them is frustrating and stupid — especially in resource-strapped newsrooms that are trying to do more with less.”
Over the past month, Silverman has posted numerous checklists and reminded readers of his offer in an early February blog post. As a sample, Silverman provided his “accuracy checklist” here.